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Topic: Back to Business (Read 90 times)

The feeling of flying had always brought her a quiet comfort that she didn't like to admit. She would never be able to reach that Plane again where levity was easy, freeing, and natural. There were times where she missed being able to soar openly by her own accord, without worry of who would see her or other beings in the skies. It was times like this that she took to planes.

The duties to her people had kept her busy for the first few months after the dissolution of the Oligarchy. She had established firm rule of her district, her team reaching out to every resident and business owner with stakes in the North-West part of the city. She had even made it clear that people of the Western district could look to her for guidance in this troublesome time. Zoheret had no qualms discussing why the government of the people had dissolved overnight, former Oligarchs running from rumors of destruction with their tails between their legs. But she had stayed, she assured them. Zoheret would be here to protect, serve, and care for all her constituents. She promised to raise their standards of living and provide them with true justice when the need arose. Above all else she promised protection from any dangers that would arise due to the arrogance of her former colleagues.

And she had delivered on those promises with surprising results. Crime in her district, while spiking briefly for a few months after the disbandment of the Oligarchy, settled into an all-time low. There were a few immortals who reared heads and challenged her rule in the most pathetic of ways, but all had been crushed by the sheer force of Zoheret's will. Those had been bloody, satisfying days in the beginning. Of course, they were kept under wraps - after greasing the proper hands of the mortal powers that be - and her subjects were none the wiser. And all of the mess had made her head hurt and her wings ache.

Once the dust had settled and her meetings slowed for a few days, Zoheret had begun to dream of Greece again. How long had it been since she had dreamt of the beautiful isles and sharp mountains? Warm, dry air, blue waters, and the smell of lemons. Clean and ancient, just as she remembered it to be. After more than a year of chaos and bullshit, Zoheret began to plan her escape.

Her want had started with a weekend trip - something to clear her head - which then turned into a week. A month passed before she dreamed again of leaving this wretched, dirty city. Again she left for Greece, hoping to stay for a week and to shake off all of the negative associations with the city on her vacation, only to stay for double the intended time. If she hadn't had such a wonderful time, she could have scolded herself for such endeavors.

Now the plane was landing on the runway, bouncing indelicately and coming to a final stop with a loud grinding sound which took precedence over the entire cabin - first class, of course. At the captain's instruction she took her purse and descended the aircraft into the deep night air.

The air here was cold and damp, unpleasant to her exposed skin. She had remembered to bring a blazer with her this time, knowing that she would need it now as her feet touched the ground in the dark winter's night. Before she had left her hotel room in London, Zoheret had chosen the chic blue blazer and white silk blouse with the intention of impressing her mortal handlers and her client for the evening, the first of many she had scheduled that night. High-waisted black slacks which fit snugly around her hips and thighs tapered down her legs until her ankles. Tonight her gray suede heels would click on any stone commandingly, though not as sharply as her pumps did. She looked good and she knew it, pride filling every step as mortals filled their gaze of her. At least there was her own perfection that she could count upon. She gathered her suitcase, strode through the airport to the white limousine that awaited her, ignoring much else around her.

Nearly an hour had passed before the driver opened the door and helped her out into her own private drive at Attica Villa. She had missed this house dearly and smirked as she looked upon it. With her clutch in hand, she let the chauffeur get her luggage and she headed into the open entry way of the house.

A human servant - a new one, by the look of things - stood waiting for her as she approached, trying not to make eye contact with the District Leader. He seemed nervous, brown eyes lowered and a mist of perspiration on his cheekbones. It made Zoheret curious.

"Is my guest already here, boy?" She demanded in her kindest tone, one she reserved usually for pillowtalk. The Dark Angel smiled at the boy something disingenuous, but the silly mortal couldn't tell. Lightly she put her hand upon his forearm, something the boy was smart enough to tense up at. So he had been trained well. BUt Zoheret had no interest in causing harm to the lad - he hadn't even proven himself worth it.

"Y-yes, m-madam," he stammered. According to his name tag, he was named Caesar. Zoheret thought he looked more like a Henry, but pushed the thought aside at this new knowledge. So her guest had been waiting upon her arrival, how kind. Hopefully her staff had been wise enough to offer this guest refreshment - after all, she was the District Leader.

"Caesar," she purred softly, looking up into his eyes with all the command of a queen looking for a suitor to seduce her. "Take me to my guest, please. I don't like keeping anyone waiting." The boy nodded nervously and broke contact with Zoheret, leading the way up the stairs to the main floor of the house, down the foyer, and into a larger lounge where her guest was waiting.

Logged

Oh my tongue's the only muscle on my body that works harder than my heart.

Saraekiel was dressed in Saint Laurent; from his black, Wyatt, western-buckle leather shoes, which matched the black leather biker jacket (which in turn had been discarded to hang over one of the rooms sofas), to the black, flared, woolen jacquard trousers and the cream coloured Jacquard, crepe, long sleeved shirt, which he had unbuttoned to his chest. The colour looked good against his dusky skin and his thick, dark brown hair fell tumbling around his shoulders, framing his face and eyes. He looked spectacular and new it, the sophisticated rebel, seductively dangerous and comfortable in his own skin.

He had been here for a little while now and had taken the opportunity to look around without disrespectfully snooping. The room was nice if a little on the nose, he prefered modern and streamlined, however, he did like the wall to wall bookshelves on the far wall, therefore, he had sipped the expensive whiskey the staff had offered him, removed his jacket and perused the collection while he waited

Now, the abandoned and empty glass rested on a coffee table and he stood, leaning his shoulder against the wall in front of a window, which he had just opened. The cool, soft, evening breeze ruffled his hair slightly as he looked out over Zoherets impressive villa while slowly pulling a dyed feather across his palm, repeatedly stroking it with his thumb; separating the barbs from the vane, enjoying the way it caught and rubbed against his skin. It was a normal bird feather, eagle maybe but dyed a deep, dark red. He recognized it for what it was the instant he received it the day before, with its matching note containing nothing but the time, date and an address. The note was nothing, the feather on the other hand, the feather was an invitation to meet with Zoheret herself.

He had tried to meet with her many a time before, but he was always told that she was busy, unavailable or out of town. The last person who had told him that had been left slightly broken, screaming and blind, so he was also feeling slightly trepidatious as he run the feather across his palm once again. Was that the reason she had finally invited him to a meeting? He thought invitation, but as the feather tugged and caught on his skin, he knew it for the command that it was; better for them both if he thought of it as an invitation though. No body commanded him, not any more.

Or maybe she wanted to meet him because of the bistro he set alight on the boardwalks in the hope of gaining her attention, albeit that was many months ago now or maybe it was because he had started making noises about her absence and lack of visibility and therefore he should be seen as her second in command if not the outright District Leader, not that he really wanted that kind of power or her position. Leadership looked like too much work and not enough fun, no; he chased personal power, he craved personal and absolute freedom, not the trappings of power, he wasn’t interested in being adored or worshiped. However, he really didn’t like the current power balance in the city and if he had to take a position of power to break it, to challenge it, to preserve his freedom then so be it.

How the fuck did so much control end up in the hands of a pack of degenerate, mutated undead monkeys in the first place? Now that was something he was worried about, to think that these fucked up, diseased, bloodsucking, human leeches thought they had power over him, could command him, were better than him! Were better than or equal to Angels in general! Not to mention those flea bitten, mongrel, angel hating wolf shifters. Who the fuck did they think they were? They though he and his kind were the abominations?! Those filthy mutts were nothing but shit scrapped off of the foot of the creator! Just thinking about it and them and the whole situation made him angry, made him rage; it burned and smoldered within him causing his eyes to glow with his power.

At the sound of footstep and the sharp, rhythmic clack of heels in the hallway he turned and watched the door, his eyes alight, daring and unafraid as he dragged the red feather across his palm.

"My dear Saraekiel!" Zoheret announced grandly, as if greeting an old friend. A courteous smile spread over her beautiful face and she strolled past the mortal to greet her guest. "I'm so pleased that you've received my invitation. Has my staff offered you proper respect and kindness?" The District Leader deposited her purse upon a chair nearby before outstretching a delicate - but firm - hand out to the other in greeting.

It had taken her weeks to figure out what had happened with the bistro by the boardwalk. A small fire that had grown to intense proportions before any mortal fire patrol could reach it. At first, she hadn't thought much about the event - some human settling a score with a business owner, surely. It wasn't until the staff had heard it slip that Saraekiel was searching for Zoheret that they had all began to wonder. There never was any confirmation that Zoheret's team had found, though the other Dark Angel had made it abundantly clear that it was time they speak.

So after catching wind of his displeasure, Zoheret had made it a point to send a feather to the other. As expected, the Dark Angel had shown. Zoheret wasn't expecting politeness from the other originally - surely he would have to won over somehow. As such, his glowing eyes didn't startle her. She was the sister of Lucifer. She would never be so easily intimidated if indeed they were for her. The gracious smile remained stiffly in place as her guest spoke.

Logged

Oh my tongue's the only muscle on my body that works harder than my heart.

He had heard tales of Zoheret of course, who of their ilk hadn’t? but the stories were nothing compared to the reality of the Dark Angel that walked through the door. Stunning didn’t do her justice nor beautiful, mesmerizingly gorgeous maybe? No not even that. She walked in like the Queen she was. Elegant, graceful, commanding, radiating with power. Deadly, yes definitely deadly.

He smiled warmly as he reached for Zoherets offered hand, for in truth he could do nothing else, regardless of any games, it was simply nice to be in the company of his own kind. As he took her hand in his and offered a firm shake in return to hers, but then instead of releasing her hand he turned it slightly and laid a feather light kiss on the top of her wrist.

“Sarai Zoheret, the poets do you no justice, you truly are the most exquisite being the Creator has ever made” He released her hand, a playful smile tugging at his lips, his eyes now calm and filled with nothing more then his normal angelic splendor. He had no real problem with Zoheret or how she ran her district. No, he wanted to meet Zoheret not to challenge her but because he thought they would make great allies. Two Dark Angels working together could halt the spreading vampiric rot and cleanse the city of mongrel riffraff. That was his hope anyway, it all came down to whether they could work together as allies and equals for as powerful as Zoheret was, he would not serve.

“Thank you for your invitation to visit you, your home is spectacular, and your staff have been most gracious and attentive with my care”

She was not the type to blush; in fact his comment on her beauty was expected, welcomed warmly with a gracious smile. Long years she had spent with humans and the like fawning over her beauty and she was pleased that it had never waned. "You're too kind, my dazzling friend. Too kind by far! And I'm glad to hear that you were properly taken care of. My staff knows that I have certain expectations when a guest arrives.

"Now," she said seating herself gracefully in a comfortable seat, back enough to look up at the other Angel. She found that the male gender tended to like this kind of positioning, even if her voice and questions made it clear who was really in control. Zoheret could never fault a beautiful creature for finding pleasure in another. Truth be told, she greatly enjoyed looking upon him, his golden skin and wide shoulders. That tease of chest. "Tell me of your... situation. I've heard rumors that you've been looking quite thoroughly for me. Tell me what it is I can help you with, now that you have my undivided attention."

Logged

Oh my tongue's the only muscle on my body that works harder than my heart.

He smiled broadly, warmly at her as Zoheret sat herself so regal like in the seat, her words were kind, even friendly and her eyes appreciative of the view he provided but he read between the lines quite nicely.

Your gorgeous, I’m gorgeous, we both have silver tongues. Now, you went to a lot of effort to make a big enough fracas in the hope of getting my attention. You now have it, get to the point and stop wasting my time.

He nodded slightly acknowledging her unspoken words, he thought about sitting in the chair opposite, but he felt restricted, so he moved back beside the window, leaned his shoulder against the wall and looked out. He could still Zoheret in his peripheral vision, but it was the sky he craved the look of as the soft cool evening breeze once again played with his hair.

Her windows were too small and he yearned for his own large expansive patio door that pushed upon to the open air. He felt trapped, not by Zoheret but by the pressure, the demand to be what he wasn’t. He had even gotten a car to bring himself here instead of flying so as not to cause offense. The wind and the sky called and he couldn’t deny it much longer or his true nature, he flexed his wings trying to allow the small breeze that came through these tiny windows to ruffle through his feathers. How did Zoheret stand it? Had she suppressed and denied her nature so deeply that she actually preferred to stay so human looking all the time? Or did she sneak out in the dark of the night to soar and dip amongst the stars and the clouds on those beautiful crimson wings of hers? He knew she could see his wings just as he could see hers but even the glamour that hid them from everyone else felt like a prison to him tonight and so he removed it slightly. He respected Zoheret enough not to drop the glamour completely so he dropped it enough so that his wings made a shifting peek a boo with reality, hints of them there, then gone again like breathing, living shadows.

As the wind trailed over his face and through his hair he started to speak, his words were soft, almost distant but he knew she would hear him without any problem and let him speak freely.

“When I first came to this city I heard you sat upon the vampires so called council of supernaturals, their oligarchy” he almost spat the words, his tone so full of contempt and derision “ I understood why you would play their game, they had enslaved and enthralled those mimic demons and as long as they served at their vile sides there wasn’t much that could be done but take what little power and control that they offered by joining them. I stayed away then because there was no point in coming to you, two angels no matter how formidable had no chance against an army of those demonic creatures. So I walked the streets and flew the sky whether light or dark and explored the city. I even had a few run ins with that disgusting Dark Wolf Clan.” He was going to go into more detail about them but figured Zoheret would know about them already. “Eventually I managed to hunt enough of them that they scattered” he smiled darkly and with satisfaction at the memory “Shortly after that I grew bored with the city, the rules, the restrictions. Of answering to others as if they ruled me” he turned slightly and looked at Zoheret to see if she understood. She had gained power through the Oligarchy, not absolute power or even controlling power but it was still power, and it had been hers. maybe she had been content with it, of working for and beneath these un-natural, undead creatures. Oh, they talked a good game about supernaturals working together, of being equal but it was all bullshit. The vampires ruled the Oligarchy and therefore the city and if you wanted to be a part of it you had to wear their yoke and fucking smile about it too.

After studying Zoheret for a moment he turned back to the view outside the window.

“I returned just a few weeks before the Oligarchy fell. Oh the chaos of that night still brings a shiver of joy to my soul” he said as he sucked in some air and closed his eyes with a fond smile on his lips. He looked like one of those old-world heroes on the cover of a cheap fantasy novel, all dark and broody as he stood before that window with the wind in his hair, lost momentarily in the memory.

“After the dust had settled” his eyes opened and he looked out to the sky once more “and the so called leadership of the districts was announced, I came looking for you then to reassure myself that you hadn’t been betrayed or double crossed, but you were unreachable. So, I went and explored the new city, and what did I find, a city filled with leaderless districts, Oh I heard there were some token people, abandoned scions of the former leaders, like Ben, who actually tried to do what they could; but mostly the city was free, for eighteen months we that remained have lived yokeless and free. Your district was the only one that felt unabandoned, but no one had laid eyes on you, or heard from you, just supposedly mysterious messages that you were around, that it was business as usual. Your district seemed to be running fine and I figured you were playing least in sight for some reason, so I left it and you alone. I searched for you not because I was overly concerned for you welfare, you are one of our Ancients and a survivor, no I searched because I didn’t want to be alone. Then I heard the dark wolves were back and angels were non-existent in the city. I looked, I even looked for our Holier than Thou, goody two shoe brethren. There was nothing, I was the only one. I didn’t like feeling like the only one Zoheret, it was very disquieting. The dark wolves had multiplied, they even had, or have a new leader. I hear they even have a bloody god. Whatever the reason, they are stronger than ever before. The filthy mutts proclaim us, US! As abominations and need to be obliterated from this earth.” He smiled grimly, his hands were folded and clasped loosely in front of him but the way he rubbed his thumbs one against the other gave away his anger and frustration.

“I started to worry. I thought maybe you really had been betrayed, either by your subordinates or by your former Oligarchy members and the relative stability of your district was just a front. I grew desperate and I wanted answers, one way or another. I figured if you were around and I made enough noise, made as if I wanted to challenge you for your power base, even in a small way you would show up and ask for a reckoning. We do so love our trappings and our power after all. “ He smiled tightly and turned back to the stunningly gorgeous creature lounging in her chair and bowed his head in acknowledgment and apology.“The bistro had been unintentional. I was out that night hoping to stumble into you but I found an old companion instead, we got into a small disagreement” he smiled wryly and his eyes flashed with a touch of humour.

” The fire had been for their benefit but then I figured since it was there, what the hell. Two birds.” He shrugged as the wind blew a strand of hair across his face, he lifted his hand and pushed it behind his ear. “Then the vampires returned, they rolled into this city and over it and now not only have they taken back their abandoned districts, they have taken over districts that were never theirs to begin with, a district that was happy, that was functioning just fine without their bloody yokes and worse they took over by slaughtering any supernatural that refused to bend to them. I know they were but demons and frankly I don’t give a damn about them, but they were slaughtered to justify the actions of these degenerate, diseased, mutated, human leeches. These vampires have no respect Zoheret for anything but their own kind, worse, they truly believe they are the rightful rulers of the supernatural world. They think they are the Royals above all of us and we nothing but their chattel. Sure, I could leave, find somewhere else to live, but their corruption only grows and spreads, soon there will be no stopping it.”

He lifted his eyes and once again they were alight not just with his angelic nature, dark as it was but with his anger and his rage.

“I will not be yoked Zoheret, I will not be forced to my knees, I will not beg, or serve. I will not be made to be less. Not now, not ever again. I came here tonight to firstly apologize and to assure you I am not after your power base or question your leadership. You are my kin, my brethren and as far as I can tell the only other of my kind left here. I never had any intention of challenging you.”

He dropped all his glamour then and let his power and his aura free. It swirled around him like a dark tempest as elemental flame flicked and licked over his skin, his hair, his clothes and his slowly spreading wings. His fel Shamshir blades gleamed in the faint yet dark, greenish light that they emitted, they sang of sickness and corruption, of sorrow and despair they told of a destiny of Death and Destruction

He revealed himself for the Agent of Chaos he truly was.

“My long story made short is” he said with a twisted smile “I came here tonight to tell you that I intend to wage war on the Vampires of this city. I thought maybe you might like to join me in my fun?”

The red eagle feather, abandoned and forgotten fluttered to the floor beside him, he eyed it askance before looking back to Zoheret. He waited a moment more before raining an eyebrow in amusement.